At Guiseley School we operate assessment cycles. These are fixed points in our school calendar where we will assess how well the students have understood and remembered the curriculum. After these assessment cycles we will report to parents and carers how the students have done on the assessments. In all year groups we report on a student’s ATL grade and their attendance.
What you will find in your child’s report
ATL Grade
This number is taken as an average from all the lessons your child has attended for a particular subject. Four indicates an exemplary attitude. The full descriptors can be found in your child’s planner. The ATL grade per subject is also shown on the report to give a clear indication on the attitude to learning in each subject area.
Awards, Postcards and Sanctions
The report will indicate how many achievement points and behaviour points your child has received and will also show which of the four postcards linked to our core values they have been sent. When they receive a postcard for all four core values, they will receive a school crest.
Attendance information
There is a clear link between poor attendance and lower academic achievement, so at Guiseley we report on absence from school. Chronic absenteeism or missing 10 per cent or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused; is a proven early warning sign of academic risk and school dropout.
The reports also indicate the percentage attendance for each subject which will give a clear indication if absence is impacting upon particular subject areas.
Assessment percentage
At KS3 (Years 7 to 9) assessment outcomes are presented as the percentage a student has achieved in their end of cycle assessment. This percentage indicates how much your child knows, remembers and can do in a particular subject. If there is no percentage shown or a zero is shown, this indicates that they were absent for the assessment.
In some more experiential subjects such as Art, Design Technology, Drama, Music and PE we also provide a Practical Skill Grade which will give an overview of how well students are performing with the practical aspects of the subject on average. An explanation of what these grades mean is shown below.
| 5 | Demonstrate most core skills/ techniques with proficiency, control, accuracy, fluency, consistency and creativity. Demonstrating confidence, independence and ambition. |
|---|---|
| 4 | Demonstrate a range of core skills/ techniques with proficiency, control, accuracy, fluency and consistency. Demonstrating confidence and some independence. |
| 3 | Demonstrates a range core skills/ techniques with some control, accuracy, fluency, consistency and some confidence. |
| 2 | Demonstrate some core skills/ techniques with some control, accuracy and consistency. |
| 1 | Demonstrate a limited number of core skills/ techniques with limited control, accuracy and consistency. |
Class Context
At KS3 we include a class context, this is to give a broad indication as to how much your child knows, remembers and can do in each subject area compared to others in their class.
In KS4 (Years 10 and 11) we will report how students have achieved in the end of cycle assessment using grades. At GCSE this is the 9-1 system.
Vocational Courses
Alongside GCSE subjects we also offer several vocational courses. These are work-related qualifications and are designed to enable the learner to acquire knowledge and skills that meet recognised standards necessary to perform a particular job or trade. At Guiseley School we offer students two types of these qualifications at KS4, OCR National Certificate Level 2 and WJEC Levels 2. These are qualifications designed for those who want to continue their education through applied learning. Grades for vocational courses are equivalent to GCSE grades as shown below:
| CNAT Grade | GCSE Grade |
|---|---|
| 2D* | 8.5 |
| 2D | 7 |
| 2M | 5.5 |
| 2P | 4 |
| 1D | 3 |
| 1M | 2 |
| 1P | 1.25 |
In KS5 (Years 12 and 13) we will report how students have achieved in the end of cycle assessment using grades. The grades that we will use are set out below dependant on what qualification is taken. We will also provide a projected grade at KS5. This is a grade which indicates what a student may achieve if they continue to work in same way between the assessment point and their final examination at the end of Year 13.
| A-Level Grade | UCAS points |
|---|---|
| A* | 56 |
| A | 48 |
| B | 40 |
| C | 32 |
| D | 24 |
| E | 16 |
Vocational Courses
Alongside A-Level subjects we also offer several applied courses. These are qualifications that are designed to enable the learner to acquire knowledge and skills through purposeful contexts linked to more practical situations. At Guiseley School we offer students two types of these qualifications, OCR Technical Level 3 and WJEC Level 3. These qualifications are designed for those who want to continue their education through applied learning. Grades for vocational courses are equivalent to A-Level grades as shown below:
| CTEC Grade | UCAS points |
|---|---|
| D* | 56 |
| D | 48 |
| M | 32 |
| P | 16 |
| Criminology Grade | UCAS points |
|---|---|
| A* | 56 |
| A | 48 |
| B | 40 |
| C | 32 |
| D | 24 |
| E | 16 |
For further information
As always, the best place to get more detailed information is to attend one of our academic parents’ evenings, where our teachers will be able to talk through in more detail on how your child is doing and importantly, what they need to do next to make further progress.
Should you wish to discuss anything regarding your child’s general progress at school then contact your child’s Pastoral Leader. If your query is about a specific subject, then contact either your child’s class teacher or the Curriculum Leader for the subject.